Related Experiment Videos
Persistent poliovirus infection: establishment and maintenance involve distinct mechanisms
S Borzakian1, T Couderc, Y Barbier
1Unité de Virologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Virology
|February 1, 1992
Summary
Researchers studied poliovirus (PV) mutants in neural cells, finding that reduced viral lytic potential establishes persistent infections. However, infection maintenance depends on selected cell populations, not viral properties.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Cell Biology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Poliovirus (PV) mutants with altered biological properties can be selected in vitro using neural cells.
- Type 1 PV strains selected in human neuroblastoma cells accumulate mutations, changing cell specificity and enabling persistence in non-neural cells like HEp-2c.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms behind the establishment and maintenance of persistent poliovirus infections using parent lytic strains and persistent PV mutants.
- To understand the role of viral lytic potential and host cell selection in persistent viral infections.
Main Methods:
- Selection of poliovirus mutants in vitro using neural and non-neural cell lines (HEp-2c).
- Analysis of viral genome and antigen presence in infected cells using in situ hybridization and cytofluorometry.
- Characterization of two distinct cell phenotypes (HEp-S32 and HEp-S31) exhibiting persistent poliovirus infection.
Main Results:
- Persistent infection establishment requires reduced viral lytic potential, affecting early and late stages of the virus cycle.
- Infection maintenance is linked to the selection of host cell populations with varying phenotypes, not solely to reduced viral lytic potential.
- Two cell lines showed distinct characteristics: HEp-S32 lacked PV receptors, while HEp-S31 expressed receptors and supported viral genome/antigen presence, allowing for culture cure or lysis under specific conditions.
Conclusions:
- A model involving an equilibrium between abortive and lytic infections is proposed to explain persistent poliovirus infection in host cells.
- The study highlights the complex interplay between viral mutations and host cell selection in establishing and maintaining persistent viral infections.